Enjoying a day off and a lovely new Youtube clip of Alcina from Paris Opera 2004

Finally a day off! It's been a brutal week with me catching the 4th flu of the year (I really have got to get out of Riverside, CA before too long. I had gone 3 yrs without a flu before I moved up here last December. This place is really bad for me!), but still having to go back to work the first day after the fever finally broke. It seemed the whole town of Redlands knew the Thai resto I've been working at finally had a bartender in residence again after 4 days, and we were absolutely swamped for 3 straight days. I'm telling you, people start drinking martinis and other hard core cocktails at lunch time here!

Anyhow, I somehow survived, but was quite something of a post-halloween zombie this morning until I stumbled onto this awesome audio upload of the Alcina broadcast from the Paris Opera in 2004. It stars Luba Orgonasova (Alcina), Vesselina Kasarova (Ruggiero), Vivica Genaux (Bradamante), Patrizia Ciofi (Morgana), Toby Spence (Oronto), and Luca Pisaroni (Melisso)!

That was VK's first foray into the Handelian repertoire, I think, and a marvelous treat to start a day off with!

Where In The World Is L'ubica Orgonášová?

The Slovak operatic soprano Luba Orgonasova is one elusive singer! A lot of people wonder out loud about her and her career (such an alluring voice and positively splendid singer, but where the heck did she go???).

I only know her from a few recordings. Lately I had been listening to the Verdi Requiem from 1998 Montreux Festival again since I had to fix my previous upload of the soprano solo (Libera me) section. While waiting for the new clip (shown above) to load -- it's almost 15 min long so it was a long wait -- I went Googling and only found a few commercial bios and an interview in the Slovak language magazine Slovenka.... and a few upcoming concerts listed below for others who would love to hear her live one of these days:

Luba Orgonasova (Photo: Peter Brenkus)

2011

November

5, 6 : Vienna, AUS - Haydn concert with N Harnoncourt & Wiener Hofmusikkapelle. Musikverein (Grosser Saal).
18  : Dresden, GER - Verdi Requiem with Jun Märkl & MDR Sinfonieorchester & Rundfunkchor. Dresden Frauenkirche.

20  : Leipzig, GER - Verdi Requiem with Jun Märkl & MDR Sinfonieorchester & Rundfunkchor. Leipziger Gewandhaus.

2012

May

9  : Luxemburg - Concert with Riccardo Chailly, Helene Grimaud & Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Philharmonie Luxembourg Grand Auditorium.

10 : Hamburg, GER- Concert with R Chailly & Helene Grimaud. Laeiszhalle Musikhalle Grosser Saal.

15, 16 : Athens, GRE - Concert with R Chailly & Helen Grimaud. Megaron Concert Hall.

20 : Madrid, SPA - Concert with R Chailly & Helene Grimaud. Auditorio Nacional de Musica.

June

28, 30 : Graz, AUS: Dvorak's Stabat Mater (N Harnoncourt & Chamber Orchestra of Europe). Styriarte.

July

1    : Graz, AUS: Dvorak's Stabat Mater. Styriarte.

November
8, 9, 10:  Berlin, GER: Concert with Simon Rattle & Berlin Philharmonic (Rachmaninov's Kolokola). This concert is available on the Digital Concert Hall.

Organically Orgonasova

The elusive Slovak soprano Luba Orgonasova was caught singing the soprano part in the Verdi requiem at Music Festival Montreux in 1998. One of the best rendition of the Libera me section I've heard. She is accompanied by Paul Daniel & the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Choeur philharmonique de Prague.

Earworms: Pace, pace....